Laventille United’s first season celebrated

The club, founded by Cedric Hazelwood, presented a senior men’s team now called Miscellaneous Laventille United to participate in the Northern Football Association (NFA) First Division in 2016 following a partnership with the Miscellaneous Group in September. This followed after the company’s CEO Sham Mohammed took a special interest in the talent coming out of Laventille during a Football 7s tournament sponsored by the Miscellaneous Group and staged at the St Paul Street Recreational Ground in conjunction with the Inter-Agency Task Force Hearts and Minds Programme earlier this year Hazelwood said that being able to see players and supporters from communities that were at some point warring with each other, turning up at matches supporting one cause and one team was the biggest achievement for him. “They all came together to support one team and for me and all of us here, this is a major success because of this programme,” Hazelwood added.

“What he have seen here is a transformation that was not happening before inspite of the different projects that were tried by the Ministries. We are thankful for all they have tried but I am delighted to see that this football programme is making positive change. People from the different areas are now coming together at the football field and backing each other.

It is something fresh and enlightening for us to see away from all the warring and criminal activities that have plagued our image over the years,” Hazelwood stated.

Shaun Fuentes, who hosted the ceremony, is a partner of Miscellaneous Laventille and he hailed the success of the programme so far which saw the team formed after a participation in the Miscellaneous Footballl 7s tournament at St Paul Street, Port of Spain in August.

“The members of the squad come from various areas within Laventille, from Beverly Hills, St Paul Street, John John, Snake Valley, Mentor Alley, Block 22, Higher and Lower Picton, Soogrim Trace to Despers Centre and other areas,” Fuentes said in his address.

“Now the 25-members of the current club are finding ways to breakdown barriers, coming together from several areas in Laventille.The stage is now set for Laventille United to continue to grow, expand and put the community in a positive light through football and other enriching community engagements,” stated Fuentes, who is also the communications manager at the TT FA.

Mohammed also pledged continued support for the team and will see to the expansion of the team’s backroom staff and other technical support for the 2017 season.